Cytoplasmic chloroplast (cp) genomes and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nR) are the primary sequences used to understand plant diversity and evolution. We introduce a high-throughput method to simultaneously obtain complete cp and nR sequences using Illumina platform whole-genome sequence. We applied the method to 30 rice specimens belonging to nine Oryza species. Concurrent phylogenomic analysis using cp and nR of several of specimens of the same Oryza AA genome species provides insight into the evolution and domestication of cultivated rice, clarifying three ambiguous but important issues in the evolution of wild Oryza species. First, cp-based trees clearly classify each lineage but can be biased by inter-subspecies cross-hybridization events during speciation. Second, O. glumaepatula, a South American wild rice, includes two cytoplasm types, one of which is derived from a recent interspecies hybridization with O. longistminata. Third, the Australian O. rufipogan-type rice is a perennial form of O. meridionalis.

BackgroundUnderstanding late pollen development, including the maturation and pollination process, is a key component in maintaining crop yields. Transcriptome data obtained through microarray or RNA-seq technologies can provide useful insight into those developmental processes. Six series of microarray data from a public transcriptome database, the Gene Expression Omnibus of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, are related to anther and pollen development.ResultsWe performed a systematic and functional study across the rice genome of genes that are preferentially expressed in the late stages of pollen development, including maturation and germination. By comparing the transcriptomes of sporophytes and male gametes over time, we identified 627 late pollen-preferred genes that are conserved among japonica and indica rice cultivars. Functional classification analysis with a MapMan tool kit revealed a significant association between cell wall organization/metabolism and mature pollen grains. Comparative analysis of rice and Arabidopsis demonstrated that genes involved in cell wall modifications and the metabolism of major carbohydrates are unique to rice. We used the GUS reporter system to monitor the expression of eight of those genes. In addition, we evaluated the significance of our candidate genes, using T-DNA insertional mutant population and the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Mutants from T-DNA insertion and CRISPR/Cas9 systems of a rice gene encoding glycerophosphoryl diester phosphodiesterase are defective in their male gamete transfer.ConclusionThrough the global analyses of the late pollen-preferred genes from rice, we found several biological features of these genes. First, biological process related to cell wall organization and modification is over-represented in these genes to support rapid tube growth. Second, comparative analysis of late pollen preferred genes between rice and Arabidopsis provide a significant insight on the evolutional disparateness in cell wall biogenesis and storage reserves of pollen. In addition, these candidates might be useful targets for future examinations of late pollen development, and will be a valuable resource for accelerating the understanding of molecular mechanisms for pollen maturation and germination processes in rice.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12284-018-0219-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundSegregation distortion (SD) is a frequently observed occurrence in mapping populations generated from crosses involving divergent genotypes. In the present study, ten genetic linkage maps constructed from reciprocal F2 and BC1F1 mapping populations derived from the parents Dasanbyeo (indica) and Ilpumbyeo (japonica) were used to identify the distribution, effect, and magnitude of the genetic factors underlying the mechanisms of SD between the two subspecies.ResultsSD loci detected in the present study were affected by male function, female function, and zygotic selection. The most pronounced SD loci were mapped to chromosome 3 (transmitted through male gametes), chromosome 5 (transmitted through male gametes), and chromosome 6 (transmitted through female gametes). The level of SD in BC1F1 populations which defined by chi-square value independence multiple tests was relatively low in comparison to F2 populations. Dasanbyeo alleles were transmitted at a higher frequency in both F2 and BC1F1 populations, suggesting that indic a alleles are strongly favored in inter-subspecific crosses in rice. SD loci in the present study corresponded to previously reported loci for reproductive barriers. In addition, new SD loci were detected on chromosomes 2 and 12.ConclusionThe identification of the distribution of SD and the effect of genetic factors causing SD in genetic mapping populations provides an opportunity to survey the whole genome for new SD loci and their relationships to reproductive barriers. This provides a basis for future research on the elucidation of the genetic mechanisms underlying SD in rice, and will be useful in molecular breeding programs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12284-014-0003-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Molecular markers are efficient and essential genotyping tools for molecular breeding and genetic analysis of rice. We developed two 96-plex indicajaponica single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping sets for genetic analysis and molecular breeding in rice using the Fluidigm platform. Informative SNPs between indica and japonica were selected from SNP data of the Rice Diversity database, HapRice world SNP data of the Q-TARO database, and our 40 rice cultivar resequencing dataset. SNPs in set 1 were evenly distributed across all 12 rice chromosomes at a spacing of 4-5 Mb between adjacent SNPs. SNPs in set 2 mapped to the long genetic intervals in set 1 and included 14 functional or linked SNPs in genes previously cloned and associated with agronomic traits. Additionally, we used the SNP sets developed in this study to perform genetic diversity analysis of various cultivated and wild rice accessions, construction and validation of a subspecies diagnostic subset, linkage map construction and quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of a japonica × indica F 2 population, and background profiling during marker-assisted backcrossing. Furthermore, we identified subspecies-specific SNPs and discuss their distribution and association with agronomic traits and subspecies differentiation. Our results indicate that these subspecies-specific SNPs were present in wild rice prior to domestication. This genotyping system will serve as an efficient and quick tool for genetic analysis and molecular breeding in rice.

BackgroundTongil (IR667-98-1-2) rice, developed in 1972, is a high-yield rice variety derived from a three-way cross between indica and japonica varieties. Tongil contributed to the self-sufficiency of staple food production in Korea during a period known as the `Korean Green Revolution'. We analyzed the nucleotide-level genome structure of Tongil rice and compared it to those of the parental varieties.ResultsA total of 17.3 billion Illumina Hiseq reads, 47× genome coverage, were generated for Tongil rice. Three parental accessions of Tongil rice, two indica types and one japonica type, were also sequenced at approximately 30x genome coverage. A total of 2,149,991 SNPs were detected between Tongil and Nipponbare varieties. The average SNP frequency of Tongil was 5.77 per kb. Genome composition was determined based on SNP data by comparing Tongil with three parental genome sequences using the sliding window approach. Analyses revealed that 91.8% of the Tongil genome originated from the indica parents and 7.9% from the japonica parent. Copy numbers of SSR motifs, ORF gene distribution throughout the whole genome, gene ontology (GO) annotation, and some yield-related QTLs or gene locations were also comparatively analyzed between Tongil and parental varieties using sequence-based tools. Each genetic factor was transferred from the parents into Tongil rice in amounts that were in proportion to the whole genome composition.ConclusionsTongil was derived from a three-way cross among two indica and one japonica varieties. Defining the genome structure of Tongil rice demonstrates that the Tongil genome is derived primarily from the indica genome with a small proportion of japonica genome introgression. Comparative gene distribution, SSR, GO, and yield-related gene analysis support the finding that the Tongil genome is primarily made up of the indica genome.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12284-014-0022-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.